Sonic Automotive Annual Report 2020
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Sonic Automotive Annual Report 2020 Form 10-K (NYSE:SAH) Published: February 21st, 2020 PDF generated by stocklight.com UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ___________________________________________________________________ FORM 10-K ___________________________________________________________________ ☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 or ☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from to Commission File Number: 1-13395 ___________________________________________________________________ SONIC AUTOMOTIVE, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) ___________________________________________________________________ Delaware 56-2010790 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 4401 Colwick Road Charlotte, North Carolina 28211 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (704) 566-2400 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share SAH New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None ___________________________________________________________________ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ N o ☒ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ N o ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes ☐ No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). ☐ Yes ☒ No The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $682.4 million based upon the closing sales price of the registrant’s Class A Common Stock on June 28, 2019 of $23.35 per share. The registrant has no non-voting common equity. As of February 12, 2020, there were 30,532,640 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, and1 2,029,375 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the registrant's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report Form 10-K to the extent described herein. UNCERTAINTY OF FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains, and written or oral statements made from time to time by us or by our authorized officers may contain, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements address our future objectives, plans and goals, as well as our intent, beliefs and current expectations regarding future operating performance, results and events, and can generally be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee” and other similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements are based on our current estimates and assumptions and involve various risks and uncertainties. As a result, you are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results could differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from our projections include those risks described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere herein, as well as: • the number of new and used vehicles sold in the United States as compared to our expectations and the expectations of the market; • our ability to generate sufficient cash flows or to obtain additional financing to fund our EchoPark expansion, capital expenditures, our share repurchase program, dividends on our common stock, acquisitions and general operating activities; • our business and growth strategies, including, but not limited to, our EchoPark store operations; • the reputation and financial condition of vehicle manufacturers whose brands we represent, the financial incentives vehicle manufacturers offer and their ability to design, manufacture, deliver and market their vehicles successfully; • our relationships with manufacturers, which may affect our ability to obtain desirable new vehicle models in inventory or to complete additional acquisitions or dispositions; • the adverse resolution of one or more significant legal proceedings against us or our franchised dealerships or EchoPark stores; • changes in laws and regulations governing the operation of automobile franchises, accounting standards, taxation requirements and environmental laws; • changes in vehicle and parts import quotas, duties, tariffs or other restrictions; • general economic conditions in the markets in which we operate, including fluctuations in interest rates, employment levels, the level of consumer spending and consumer credit availability; • high levels of competition in the retail automotive industry, which not only create pricing pressures on the products and services we offer, but also on businesses we may seek to acquire; • our ability to successfully integrate potential future acquisitions; and • the rate and timing of overall economic expansion or contraction. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or when made, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update these statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. SONIC AUTOMOTIVE, INC. ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PART I Item 1. Business 1 Item 1A. Risk Factors 9 Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 25 Item 2. Properties 26 Item 3. Legal Proceedings 26 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 26 PART II Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 27 Item 6. Selected Financial Data 28 Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 29 Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 66 Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 68 Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 68 Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 68 Item 9B. Other Information 68 PART III Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 69 Item 11. Executive Compensation 69 Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 69 Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 69 Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 69 PART IV Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 70 Item 16. Form 10-K Summary 74 SIGNATURES 75 CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS F-4 SONIC AUTOMOTIVE, INC. PART I Item 1. Business. Sonic Automotive, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in 1997. References to “Sonic,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” used throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to Sonic Automotive, Inc. and its subsidiaries. We are one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States (as measured by total revenue). As a result of the way we manage our business, we had two reportable segments as of December 31, 2019: (1) the Franchised Dealerships Segment and (2) the EchoPark Segment. For management and operational reporting purposes, we group certain businesses together that share management and inventory (principally used vehicles) into “stores.” As of December 31, 2019, we operated 86 stores in the Franchised Dealerships Segment and nine stores